In Fitchburg, state transit improvements discussed

Tuesday

Mar 5, 2013 at 6:00 AM

By Paula J. Owen TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

Last night, Ann T. Berube left a public forum and panel discussion at Fitchburg State University on regional transportation investments in Massachusetts Gateway Cities at Fitchburg State University feeling frustrated.

After years of struggling to get public transportation for her 23-year-old developmentally disabled daughter Jillian E. Berube from their Westminster home to Jillian's job, classes and various volunteer positions in Gardner, Fitchburg and Leominster while trying to work part time herself, she said the forum did little to give her hope of finding a solution to the problem.

Though, Westminster is in the Montachusett Regional Transit Authority's service area, Mrs. Berube said she was told by MART officials the town would have to approve a six-stop bus route for her daughter to get picked up.

“They just won't touch Westminster,” Mrs. Berube said. “In Westminster, if you don't have a car and you are not elderly and can get transportation through the Council on Aging, they don't offer anything else.”

She said she in not alone. Other people with or without disabilities need access to public transportation in the town. Mrs. Berube said her mission before she dies is to get public transportation services in town for Jillian.

The forum was attended by state and local officials, business leaders and nonprofit heads. As part of the event, MassINC, an independent research group, presented a report that provides a roadmap for how new public resources in regional transit can be invested with a focus on improving the economic performance of gateway cities like Fitchburg and Leominster.

It was the second of several forums that are being held in gateway cities throughout the state.

During the forum, MassINC Executive Director Benjamin K. Forman said a majority of the households in gateway cities surveyed are willing to give up $50 or more to improve public transportation in the region.

Yet, that is money Mrs. Berube said she doesn't have in her budget.

Mr. Forman said small gateway cities are potential big cities — soon people will realize cities like Fitchburg and Leominster are just as valuable, important and attractive as cities like Boston, he said. Moreover, he said, the “sexy, niche industries” typically talked about and that policy focuses around are a really small sliver of the state's overall economy. He said the industries and economic opportunities in gateway cities in other regions are overlooked.

However, gateway cities have not had the resources or capacity to grow, he said. Focusing on public transit will help that happen, he said, and the study found people are ready for it.

Jobs for young people are at a 40-year low in Massachusetts, he said, and it is more critical than ever to get people early workforce experience so they can understand what skills they need to further their education and careers.

Moreover, public transit can help drive the local economy with people coming into a region to spend money.

The study found that Fitchburg households, he said, are paying every bit as much money on transportation today as they are on housing.

“They are using cars to get to where they need to go and driving a long way to get there. That is expensive,” he said.

Low housing costs offset by high transit costs make the region not as competitive a place to live as it should be, he said.

New proposed state reinvestments of $1.7 billion over the next 10 years could stimulate $3 billion to $4 billion in redevelopment and reuse in gateway communities, he said.

It would give the gateway cities the opportunity to restart conversations on public transportation and change attitudes toward it.

“Many young people don't want cars and aren't getting their licenses,” Mr. Forman said. “This is a real opportunity to brand Massachusetts where transportation is a cultural thing. We've done that with the T. Everyone knows it and feels invested in it even if they don't ride it.”

Local officials said it will take money to get the commute into Boston under an hour, access to more buses and trains, and for people outside of Boston to trust state officials again after the Big Dig project.

Contact Paula Owen at powen@telegram.com. Follow her on Twitter @PaulaOwenTG.

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